Half to cornelius a



said slats, the usual Venetian blind.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY M. XVILSON, OF SOMERSET, MASSACHUSETTS ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOCORNELIUS AyDAVIS, OF SAME PLACE.

' SHUTTER-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,548, dated January10, 1899.

Application filedAu'gust 27,1898. Serial No. 689.636. (No model-J To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY M. WILSON, a: citizen of the United States,and a resident of Somerset, in the county of Bristol and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inShutter-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in devices for operating andfastening outside shutters orblinds; and it consists in the novelfeatures and combinations hereinafter described, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to'provide suitable, efiicient, andsuperior means for use in connection with the looking-latches ofshutters,whereby the shutter may be securely locked in its closedposition, with the Venetian-blind portion of the shutter also looked inits closed position, and whereby also when' the shutterhas been lockedin its open position its latch may be freed and the shutter drawn to itsclosed position with entire ease and convenience and without thenecessity of reaching out of the window to operate the locking-latch.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed descriptionhereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a shutter andwindow-casing equipped with means embodying my invention, the shutterbeing illustrated in its closed position,with the slat portion alsolooked closed. Fig. 2 is a like view of same, showing the slats releasedandthe operating-rod tilted upward at its inner end to free thelocking-latch from engage-- ment with the catch secured on thewindowcasing. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of same on the dotted line2 2 of Fig. 1 and looking downward on the attachments embracing myinvention. Fig. 4 is'a detached perspective view of the operating-rod,and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail.

In the drawings, A designates a portion of a usual shutter provided withthe slats O and the rod D therefor, said rod being the usual rodpivotally connected with all of the slats O for operating the latter andforming, with The shutter A will, as usual, he hinged to thewindow-casing E.

Upon the lower bar F of the shutter A are pivotally secured theoperating lever-rod G and button H, and said shutter is provided withthe pivotally-mounted locking-latch I, whose inner end is adapted toengage and look upon the usual catch J, found upon window-sills andwhose outer end is adapted to engage and look upon the outer catch whenthe shutter A is thrown to its open position.

The locking-latch I is. adapted to have a limited horizontal rocking oraxial oscillatory motion, and is provided at its outer end withtheiengaging lip K and at its inner end with the engaging lip L andaperture M, the said lips K L beingfor engagement, respectively, withthe usual catch on the outside of the wall and the catch J on thewindow-casing.

.Theoperating-rod G is formed with the tubular bearing N, by which therod is sustained at the proper distance from the shutter and throughwhich passes the screw V, by which said rod is pivotally secured to theshutter. At the outer end of the rod G is formed the horizontalinwardly-projecting arm or extension 0, and at the outer end of this armor extension 0 is formed the vertical arm P. Adjacent to the inner endof the rod G is formed the shelf Q, which is rectangular in outline andextends in close relation to the surface of the shutter. The purpose ofthe shelf Q will be explained hereinafter. At its inner end the rod G isformed with the head R, having the upper and lower fingers S T,respectively, the end surfaces of the finger T being rounded andoperating in the manner of a cam. The operating-rod G is intended tohave a limited rocking or oscillatory motion upon the screw V, by whichit is secured in place, and said rod during this motion is restrainedand controlled by means of the loop or guide W, secured to the shutterand encompassing in a transverse direction said rod G. Then in itsoperative position, the inner end or head R of the rod G will be inengagement with the inner end of the locking-latch I, the upper finger Sof said head being projected through theaperture M of said locking-latchand bearing at its outer end upon the upper surface of the said latch,

at one side of the longitudinal center of the latter, while the finger Tof said head R is extended below the inner end of the latch I and inposition to engage the same at one side of the longitudinal centerthereof when the inner end of the rod G is tilted upward to effeet thatresult.

In Fig. 1 the shutter is shown in its closed position,with the slats 0locked in their closed position, and under such conditions the inner endof the locking-latch I is in engagement with the catch J on thewindow-casing and is effectually locked in such engagement by the buttonII, which is then in its vertical position, with its lower end directlyover the shelf Q, formed on said rod G. The button II when in thisposition efiectually resists any efiort which may be made to turn thelatch I from without for the purpose of releasing it from said catch J.The button II not only secures the locking-latch I in its lockedposition, but also at its upper end engages the lower end of the rod D,connecting the slats O, and locks said rod and slats against movement,the upper end of the button II thus locking the slats O in their closedposition and the lower end of said button locking the rod G and latch I.When the button II is in its vertical position,,the finger S of the rodG is held downward upon the upper surface of said latch I, and hencesaid latch is restrained against movementin either direction and no oneat the outside of the window could from the outer end of said latch Irelease said latch from the catch J.

The upper end of the button II is provided with the flanges a b, whichoperate to house the lower end of the rod D, and thereby the moresecurely lock said rod D in its upper or closed position. The flange aon the button II also operates as a stop to check said button whenarriving at its proper vertical position.

When it is desired to open the shutter A, the button II will be turnedto a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose ofreleasing the rod G and slats O, and thereupon the rod G will be tiltedupward at its inner end to cause the lower finger T of said rod to turnthe inner end of the locking-latch I upward and free the engaging lip Lthereof from the catch J on the window-casing, the shutter being thenfree to be swung open upon its hinges at will. As soon as the shutter Ais started outward the rod G will be released, since the engagement ofthe lip K on the outer end of the latch I with the catch on the outerwall will automatically efiect the proper turning of said latch toinsure the engagement of said lip with said catch.

The screw V, securing the rod G, is at the outer side of the center ofgravity of said rod, and hence the inner end of said rod is heavier thanthe outer end thereof and will of its own weight when left unsupportedfall downward to the lower side of the loop I to the positionillustrated in Fig. 1, and thus the rod G will normally hold thelocking-lateh in a position to engage either the catch J on thewindow-casing or the catch secured on the outer wall. The weight andarrangement of the rod G are such, however, as to yield upward at itsinner end with the head of the latch I whenever the latter is turned byits contact with the catch J on the window-casing or the catch on theouter wall. The rod G does not, therefore, interfere with the automaticoperation. of the latch I at the end of the closing movement of theshutter or at the end'of the opening movement of the shutter, and thusthe ordinary conveniences of the use of an automatic locking-latch I arenot interfered with in any sense by the application to the shutter ofthe operating-rod G and button II.

The rod G and button II are useful when the shutter is closed to lockthe latch I and slats (l, and when the shutter A is in its open positionthe rod G is of great utility in that thereby without reaching out ofthe window the latch I may be tilted free of the outside engaging catchand the shutter may be pulled to its closed position. Then the shutteris in its open position, the releasing of the latch I from the outsidecatch is effected by simply pressing lightly downward upon the outer endof the rod G, the pressure being applied either upon the arm 0 or arm Por upon the body of the said rod G, and thereupon the latch I havingbeen released the arms 0 I may be utilized for drawing in the shutter toits closed position. I have found that the arm 0 and arm P very muchfacilitate the closing of the shutter A and that in the use of the arms0 P the shutter Amay be caused to move inward with slight exertion, whenwith the back of the hand upward the forefinger is caused to pressoutward upon the arm P and the thumb is pressed against the verticaledge of the shutter A, a'leverage being thus created which readilyeifects the inward movement of the shutter A.

The upward movement of the inner end of the rod G causes the cam-shapedor curved edges of the finger T to move easily against the locking-latchI, and during the downward movement of the said end of therod G the saidcam or curved surfaces of the finger '1 permit the ready return of thelatch I to its normal position, said latch being aided in its returnmotion by the pressure of the finger S bearing upon its upper side. Thefinger S, as above described, passes through the aperture M in the latchI, and hence the engagement of the rod G and latch I is properlypreserved at all times.

I do not limit the invention to the special axially-revoluble latch Ishown in the drawings and above referred to; but it is apparent that theinvention is admirably adapted for use in combination with said latch.

It is a desirable characteristic of the present invention that allcomplexity of parts is avoided in its mechanism and that its parts areboth few and simple, easily applied and operated, and automatic inmaintaining the latch in a normal operative position ready to engageeither the catch on the window-casing or the catch on the outer wall.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The shutter having a pivotally-mounted latch adapted at its ends toalternately engage the catches provided upon the windowsill and wallrespectively, combined with the tilting operating-rod G pivotallymounted upon the inner face of the shutter and extending in one integralpiece from said latch, (which it engages to both elevate and depress theinner end of same) to the hinged edge of the shutter whereat said rod isprovided with a handle, said rod Ghaving the tubular bearing N at oneside of its center to receive the securing-screw V and maintain said rodat a distance from the shutter, and the weight of said rod G holding thesaid latch normally in position to interlock with the said catches onthe sill or wall; substantially as shown and described.

2. The shutter having the slats O and rod D and provided with the latch,combined with the tilting operating-rod G in engagement with saidlatch-and pivotally secured to said shutter, and the button H alsopivotally secured to said shutter and adapted to simultaneously locksaid rod D and said rod G; substantially as set forth.

3. The shutter having the slats O and rod D and provided with the latch,combined with the tilting operating-rod G in engagement with said latchand pivotally secured to said shutter, and the button H also pivotallysecured to said shutter and having the'flanges at one end to receive thelower end of said rod D, said button H being adapted to lock both saidrod D and said rod G; substantially as set forth.

4. The shutter having the slats O and rod D and provided with the latch,combined with the tilting operating-rod G in engagement with said latchand having the shelf Q, and the button H pivoted to said shutter andadapted to simultaneously engage said shelf and said rod D, the end ofsaid button which the inner endof same) to the hinged edge of theshutter, whereat said rod is formed with the horizontal right-angulararm 0 and, at

the end thereof, the vertical arm P, said rod having the tubular bearingN at one side of its center to receive the securing-screwVand maintainsaid rod at a distance from the shutter, and the weight of said rodGholding the said latch normally in position to interlock with the saidcatches on the sill or wall; substantially as shown and described.

6. The shutter having the axially-revoluble latch adapted to alternatelyautomatically engage the catches on the window and outer wall, combinedwith the tilting operating-rod G pivotally secured 'to the shutter andhaving at its'inner end the fingers S, T, to engage said latch;substantially as set forth.

7. The shutter having the aXially-revoluble latch provided on its innerend with the aperture M, combined with the pivoted tilting rod G havingat its outer end the arms 0, P, and at its inner end thefingers S, T, toengage and operate said latch; substantially as set forth.

8. The shutter having the aXially-revoluble latch, combined with thepivoted tilting rod having the fingers S, T, to engage said latch, thearms 0, P, and shelf Q, and the button H to engage said shelf and locksaid rod and latch; substantially as set forth.

Signed at Somerset, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts,this 23d day of August, A. D. 1898.

HENRY M. WILSON.

Witnesses:

FRANK W. HANLEY, WM. P. T1001).

